These Blind Eyes
by Roxxi Roo
Summary: Ok, I'm back on fanfic for the first time in like 6 months! Sorry for being away for so long, but I know you guys really seem to like this one, so here's the next chapter! :D
1. Prologue

"Are you ready?" Van Rook asked, strapping his jetpack to his muscular back. A young girl stood across from him, tightening her wrist blasters, her hazel eyes locking onto his dark ones.

"I've been ready since the night she died. That Saturday boy is gonna pay…" she replied, setting her jaw in anger.

"Good. Remember what he took from us, and let that fuel your anger" Van Rook advised, flipping down the faceplate on his mercenary helmet. Without another word, they left the mansion and shot up into the morning air, headed for the Saturday household.


	2. Silent Memoriam

"Okay Clover, fetch!" Zak said enthusiastically while throwing the tennis ball as far into the woods as he could. His new cryptid friend, a young tapire-iauara they rescued in Brazil, bounded after it happily, her furry blue tail swishing back and forth. She returned moments later, the ball clenched between her sharp teeth, and deposited it on the ground in front of Zak.

"You're such a good girl" the boy crooned, rubbing behind Clover's pale pink ears. In response, she uttered a strange noise of contentment and lowered her head, encouraging Zak to scratch her back. Zak turned around when he hear a rustling, accompanied by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Fisk, Zon, and Komodo stood behind him, all of them looking very impatient.

"Stop being so jealous. Clover needs attention too, ya know," Zak defended. The boy was confused at the suddenly terrified expression on Fisk's face. Turning around slowly, he saw Clover, held tight in the arms of Leonidas Van Rook, who had suddenly appeared behind him. The pig-like cryptid squealed and snorted, making desperate attempts to break free, but the mercenary only squeezed harder, pushing the air out of her tiny lungs. Firing up his jetpack, he flew straight up, hovering above Zak and laughing at the boy's terrified expression. Another figure could be seen in the sky, coming closer to Van Rook every second. As it came closer, Zak realized it was a young girl, equipped with her own jetpack and wrist blasters. She had the mark of an apprentice sewn to her purple shirt, the little white symbol a mark of her allegiance. Her black and white streaked hair whipped around in the wind as she flew to Van Rook's side.

"Let Clover go!" Zak shouted, his heart hammering against his ribs.

"Never! You killed someone very special to me, so now you'll know what it feels like to lose a family member!" the mysterious girl replied in a faint Russian accent, aiming her laser at her struggling victim. Van Rook thrust his arm out, hanging Clover upside down by her back feet. Petrified, Zak watched helplessly from the ground as the girl scowled, and fired a single laser at point-blank range through Clover's chest. She didn't move or squeal, she simply fell limp and dangled in Van Rook's hand. Zak fought back the tears that stung his eyes, even though he knew that Clover's death had been quick and painless.

"Catch" Van Rook said, carelessly dropping the small corpse. The boy rushed forward, and caught his friend's body, holding it close to his chest. A small amount of blood stained her blue and white fur, and as he flipped her over, Zak noticed the exit wound. The boy was hit by another wave of sorrow as he gently closed her eyes and hugged her.

"Zak! What happened? We heard- oh, no…" Doc had appeared from the house, and was cut off mid-sentence as he saw his son, the dead cryptid, Van Rook, and the girl. Drew was right behind her husband, and had already drawn her fire sword, aiming at the cruel mercenary.

"What did you do?" Doc demanded, glaring at them as Drew comforted her mourning son.

"Your son killed someone I loved right in front of me, so I did the same to him. An eye for an eye…" the girl trailed off as she focused her gaze on Drew. The female Saturday brought the memories flooding back to her, the distraught girl recalling the time when life was happy, before she was ripped away so fast, and so unexpectedly…

A blast of fire flew towards her, but she barely dodged it, realizing that she had spaced out to explore her fond memories.

"Look, I don't know who you are or what you want, but my son never killed anyone. I suggest the two of you leave, or things are gonna get nasty" Drew snarled, motioning to Fisk, who cracked his knuckles and stuck his tongue out at them.

"Fine, have it your way. Our work here is done. I'm sure we'll meet again, Saturdays" Van Rook remarked, soaring away into the late morning sky, his apprentice following close behind.

When the mercenaries were out of sight, the family gathered around Clover's tiny, lifeless body. Wordlessly, Fisk led the family into the forest surrounding the house, where he dug a small grave for the deceased creature. He let Zak fill the grave with dirt and place a rock over the tiny mound of dirt as a makeshift headstone.

"You guys can go. I'd kinda like to be alone for a while" Zak muttered, dismissing his family. They filed back to the house as Zak sat down on the leaf-covered ground, staring at the grave in silent memoriam.


	3. The Accident

Shell castings from Serafina Van Rook's wrist blaster clattered to the ground in the forest behind the Weird World mansion. The 12 year old girl was perched on a tree stump, firing red lasers at her father, who was weaving through the trees with astonishing stealth. Leonidas Van Rook fired back, aiming at his daughter's ankles. She back flipped off the stump, crouching behind it as a few more lasers passed over her head.

"Nice try, Dad!" she called out, Leonidas smiling in response. Serafina suddenly popped out from behind the stump and dashed towards him, ready to try a point-blank assault. As she aimed her left wrist blaster, her father fired a few shots, one of which grazed her shoulder. The girl had developed a tolerance for pain over the years of training, so she gritted her teeth and simply gazed at the small stream of blood that stained her purple mercenary shirt. She was caught off guard as Leonidas threw a thick cord with a metal ball on each end towards her. It wrapped around her legs, binding them together as she fell to the leaf-covered forest floor. She smiled weakly as he approached, but he was not smiling back.

"Even if you get hurt, you should never let that distract you. You have to learn to suck it up and keep fighting. Always stay vigilant, and they'll never take you by surprise" the Russian man criticized harshly as he cut the cable with his sword. Serafina nodded, taking the advice to heart, promising to do better next time. Leonidas began packing up, ready to go home for the night after a long day of training.

"Come on, just one more try. Please, Dad?" she begged, eager to test her skills in just one more round of 'laser tag'. Her beautiful hazel eyes glimmered with hope, and her father fell for her charm, trying his best to resist the 'puppy dog look'. With a sigh, the man pulled his wrist blasters back on and unsheathed his chipped sword.

"I don't see why not. After all, you're going to grow up to be Argost's best mercenary, so you need all the training you can get." He tussled his daughter's black and white streaked hair, the girl beaming back at him.

"All right!" she exclaimed, happily running off to her starting position, which was on top of a fallen tree. Van Rook took a fighting stance next to a large maple tree.

"Ready… set… go!" Serafina hollered, dodging a laser that narrowly missed her left arm. She dashed away and scaled a pine tree with amazing agility, firing a few shots at her father as she ran. He chased after her, firing off another round, the lasers leaving scald marks in the bark of the tree. Serafina perched on a sturdy branch and fired back, one of her shots finding its target in Van Rook's thigh. It burned through his pants and into his flesh, and he grunted at the sudden shock of being hit. He retaliated quickly, firing two shots at his daughter, aiming for her head. Suddenly, she let out a terrible scream and fell from the branch, plummeting to the ground far below.

"Serafina!" the man yelled, immediately knowing that something had gone terribly wrong. His injured daughter had both hands over her eyes, and he could see blood seeping out from between her fingers. He pried her hands away to get a better look, and gasped when he realized he had shot her.

"Dad! Why did you do that?" she screeched, her father staring at her bloody eyes in complete shock.

"It was an accident! I thought you'd dodge it in time!" the frantic man replied.

"You did it on purpose! That was punishment for messing up before, wasn't it?" Serafina's tears mixed with the crimson blood that was smeared across her cheeks. She blinked several times, becoming frightened, for she couldn't see her father. She wiped the blood from her eyes, and looked at her hands, but only saw complete darkness.

"Dad? Where are you?" She called meekly, becoming frightened as she blinked several times, hoping to regain her vision.

"I'm right next to you." Concerned, he thought the worst, and hoped that he would wake up from his nightmare any minute, that everything was fine, and that it was all in his mind.

"I can't see you... I'm blind."

Leonidas' heart sank, beating hard against his chest, realizing that he had just ruined his only child's life. He did not shed any tears, but an overwhelming feeling of anguish made his knees buckle. Leonidas dropped to his daughter's side, putting his arms around her shoulders.

"How could you ever think I did that on purpose? You're the only family I have left. After your mother died… all I had to live for was you." He flinched as Serafina swatted his arms away and stood up, almost losing her balance. She started walking away slowly, not knowing or caring where she was going.

"Serafina! Where are you going?" the distraught man shouted in his Russian accent, still kneeling at the base of the tree.

"As far away from you as possible! You're a monster, and I'm ashamed to call you my father. All the anger, the sorrow, the evil… and you take it out on me. Good bye, Leonidas" she said in an icy voice, trudging away into the wilderness.

"I'm your only family! Get back here right now!" You can't abandon me!" Leonidas croaked in a feeble attempt to regain his daughter's love.

"Just watch me!" she called back, her voice cracking as she fought back another round of tears. She walked a little faster, narrowly avoiding a collision with a large oak tree, her arms slightly outstretched to feel her way around.

"Serafina!" the graying man called, watching the young girl disappear among the trees. Defeated by guilt and angst, Leonidas threw his head back and screamed at the early evening sky, as a lonely wolf cries to the full moon, pouring his emotions into the glimmering stars.


	4. The Lost Girl

Fisk, Doyle, and Zak rode across their property on the Fiskertrike, enjoying a quick ride after a long day of training. The fuzzy cryptid mumbled to himself happily, while Zak and Doyle took in the midnight scenery, the cold wind howling past them as they gained speed going down a steep hill. A single headlight illuminated the dirt road in front of them, the only light available besides the light of the full moon. The young boy cried out with joy as they jumped off the ramp they had built, his uncle beaming as they flew up about 20 feet off the ground. They landed with a loud rattle, for the back bumper had been torn off by the force of the impact. Zak crossed his fingers, hoping that they could repair it before his parents found out.

Without warning, Fisk slammed on the brakes, the back end of their vehicle lifting into the air, almost sending Doyle and Zak flying.

"Fisk? What was that for? Didn't we get enough air time back on the ramp?" Doyle asked angrily. He became concerned as Fisk pointed to a black figure that lay in front of the Fiskertrike, the Lemurian babbling frantically. All three of them approached it cautiously, knowing all too well that it could be a trap or a dangerous cryptid. Slowly, Doyle reached down and turned it over, and was shocked when he discovered it was a young human girl. Her purple shirt was ripped and smeared with dirt, and her face was no better. There were tear streaks and blood spatters all over her, the dried blood also coating her hands and clothes. Her eyes were closed tightly, and appeared to be the bloodiest part of her body. Zak poked her arm, attempting to wake her up. The girl didn't move, but she was still breathing, her chest rising and falling slowly. Zak walked back to the trike, returning moments later with a flashlight. He shone the beam on the girl, studying her closely. The boy whirled around, having realized who she was.

"Doyle? I think this is the girl we fought a few weeks ago. You know, she was with Van Rook when they attacked us."

"So it is her" he replied, examining her features. "Which means she can't be trusted. I say leave her, maybe Van Rook will come pick her up if he feels like doing something nice for a change." Zak was astounded at his uncle's sudden cruelty towards the helpless girl.

"How could you say that, Doyle? We're the good guys, remember? We're supposed to help those in need, and she looks pretty hurt to me" Zak retorted, sympathetic for the injured girl.

"Fine. But no one else can know that we have her, got it? Not Doc, not Drew, not even Genevieve. She's probably still working for Van Rook, so I have a few questions I want to ask her when she wakes up." Doyle lifted the unconscious girl onto his broad shoulders effortlessly, heading back to the trike.

"Miniman, Furball, let's get going. I don't want her to wake up and freak out on us." Zak joined Doyle as Fisk got in the driver's seat and began pedaling towards home. Zak touched the girl's limp hand lightly, rubbing it with his thumb to reassure her that she was safe. They drove home in silence, Zak and Fisk not daring to say anything after Doyle's pitiless remarks.


	5. Know Your Enemy

Slowly, the girl opened her eyes, and groaned when she could see nothing but a few wispy white lines. She could make out four walls, a table, and a figure standing near her. She attempted to lift her arms, but began to panic when she couldn't. Moving around some more, she also found that her feet were bound as well, so she tried to fight her way out of her current state. She froze when she heard a quiet chuckle.

"You're not going anywhere, princess" the man said snarkily.

"Who are you? Where am I? Am I dead?" the frightened girl sputtered, completely unaware of anything after her painful journey through the forest. She spoke with a faint Russian accent.

"If you answer my questions first, I might answer yours" he responded flatly. "Now tell me, who are you?"

"Why do you care?" She flinched as she heard the interrogator move closer to her, recoiling as she felt his breath on her face.

"Don't test my patience. If I wanted to, I could kill you right here, right now. Now tell me, who are you?" Realizing that she was in a very sticky situation, the girl began to confess.

"I'm Serafina Van Rook, Leonidas Van Rook's… daughter." She spat out the last word like a rotten fruit.

"He has a wife?" he asked, quite curious to learn about his former employer's past.

"He _had_ a wife. My mother, Anastasiya, was killed by an Amorak last year." Serafina's voice cracked as she fought the tears that always accompanied the memory of her mother. There was a long silence as the interrogator processed the information.

"How did you get here?" the man pressed.

"I ask you again: Why do you care?" she snapped, receiving a slap in the face. She could just see the man picking something up off the table. He held it close to her face, laughing quietly.

"Do you see this?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"No" Serafina replied.

"This could- wait, what do you mean 'no'?"

"I'm blind, smart guy. I see a little white line, and that's about it." Curious, the man leaned forward and examined her eyes. They were a rich hazel, but a milky film coated both of them, giving them a frosty appearance.

"How'd that happen?"

"I shot Leonidas in the thigh, and he shot me back in the eyes. He begged me to come back, but I took off, because I knew he did it on purpose." Serafina's captor became very quiet, for he was astonished at how evil his old master really was.

"I've told you enough, now it's your turn. Who are you?" Serafina asked, preparing to receive another slap from the interrogator. She was relieved when he didn't move.

"Doyle Blackwell. You fought the rest of my family a few weeks ago. I used to work for your father."

"Okay, so where are we?" she continued.

"Saturday headquarters" Doyle said. He jumped at Serafina's violent reaction.

"Did you say _Saturday_? You guys are the whole reason my mother is dead! All you do is murder people and cause destruction everywhere you go! Your little friend with the glowing eyes and the crazy staff makes cryptids turn evil and kill people!" Serafina thrashed around and screamed, struggling against her bonds, but to no avail.

At that point, Doyle was thoroughly confused. Killing people? Van Rook was the only person he knew that ever killed someone... besides himself. Glowing eyes and a staff? That was Zak with the Claw, but he only used his powers for good. He could make cryptids attack, but he would never hurt anyone intentionally. He flinched as Zak burst through the door, the boy's eyes darting around the room.

"What are you doing to her?" the concerned boy yelled, afraid that Doyle was hurting her.

"Keep it down, guys! You're gonna wake everybody up! I told her who we were, and she freaked out, saying we were the ones who murdered her mother!" he replied, hoping that the rest of the family hadn't heard the kids screaming.

"Doyle, who else is here?" Serafina asked quietly, calming down from her outburst. The young boy approached her, noticing her cloudy eyes.

"I'm Zak Saturday. What's your name?"

"Serafina Van Rook. The Amazing Blind One, I guess. You can thank Leonidas for that."

"_Van Rook?_ But he's… and your eyes… so your mother…" Zak's ability to speak in full sentences failed him, the boy piecing everything together in his head, figuring out the Van Rook family tree. Serafina squinted a little, making out Zak's outline, and noticing his spiky hair.

"You're the boy I fought the other day! Van Rook said you were the one who made the Amorak kill my mother last year!"

"What? I've never even met your mother! I didn't even know you existed until the time I fought you." Zak felt bad for the blind girl, and in an effort to become her friend, untied her from the table. She lifted a hand to her face, and was surprised that Doyle had cleaned all the blood off, and was even happier as she felt her shirt and noticed it had been sewn up and cleaned.

'_Maybe these people aren't really evil…'_ Serafina thought to herself. She sat up, and cringed when Zak put his arm around her.

"No, it's okay. I'm your friend! C'mon, we need to talk. And remember, no one else knows you're here, so just hide if I tell you to" Zak whispered, leading her to his bedroom. Both children jumped as Doyle spoke, Serafina having forgotten that he was even there.

"Zak, she can't be trusted! I'm keeping her here until we figure out what to do with her. Bring her back" Doyle commanded, his nephew letting out a loud sigh. The red haired man flinched as Serafina whirled around and glared in his general direction with her mysterious eyes.

"Go die in a ditch, Blackwell."

Doyle simply stood there as the children left him, and for the first time in his life, he couldn't think of a good comeback.


End file.
